Monthly Archives: July 2016

Meet Hannah Bradley ’17. This school Prefect has dedicated her time to giving back in the local community, and in her final year at Ridley, she’s hoping to give back to the students.

Why did you choose Ridley?

My mother teaches French in Lower School for Grades 6 – 8. From working at the school, she knew what a great place Ridley was and she wanted to send my sister and I here.

Did you feel prepared coming to Ridley?

I didn’t go to Ridley as soon as my mom was hired… so I was so excited when I found out I was finally going to Ridley. It was always my dream to come to Ridley and it has certainly lived up to all my expectations.

Who is your favourite faculty member and why?

My favourite faculty member (other than my mom of course) is Ms. Barranca because she makes everything fun. She is also a super nice and cool person. She makes me laugh all the time (not always on purpose).

What has been your greatest challenge thus far at Ridley?

I was always very shy as a kid so I was not highly skilled in making friends and I kept to myself a lot, so one of my biggest challenges has probably been making friends. Meeting new people each year at Ridley has helped me get used to making new friends.

What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far at Ridley?

My greatest accomplishment at the school has been joining groups like Green Tigers, Positive Space Group and the Syrian Refugee Committee. I have always liked doing good things for other people and the planet, but it’s hard to know what you can do to help. Working with a group of people to make the world a better place is a lot easier and a lot more fun than doing it on your own.

What has been your favorite Ridley experience?

One of my favourite Ridley experiences has been joining Film Club. I have only been in Film Club for one year, but I love it a lot. I don’t take any art courses, so it’s a good way for me to stay creative. We have a good group of hardworking, dedicated and fun students, working together to make a short film.

Another one of my favourite activities at the school is the Alzheimer’s Society activity. We go to a local nursing home and spend time with the residents there. Most of them have Alzheimer’s or another strand of dementia. It is a very rewarding experience and the residents are a lot of fun to hang out with. Some of my best friends are at the nursing home. I think they do more good for me than I do for them.

What is your favourite part of Ridley life?

My favourite part of Ridley life is the variety of activities offered at the school, there is truly something for everyone. There are many arts programs and lots of sports teams to join. There are also many community service opportunities. The variety of activities attracts a variety of students which creates a more diverse community.

What part of being a Prefect are you most excited for?

I am very excited to plan fun things for the student body to do. I am also looking forward to having a chance to give back to the school that has given so much to me. I am excited to meet the new students and I am looking forward to being someone they can turn to for help in their first days at Ridley and throughout the year.

How has Ridley prepared you for the future?

Ridley has helped me learn how to manage my time, as Ridley life gets very busy, very quickly. Learning time management will probably help me a lot in university and with adult life.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to go to university for life sciences or perhaps medical school. I am interested in becoming a doctor or a medical researcher. I might also go into neuroscience.

What advice would you give prospective students about Ridley?

The beginning of the year is nothing like the end of the year, and this is a good thing. At the beginning of the year, you’ll probably feel intimidated. You’ll have to make all new friends and you’ll be far away from home. You might even have to start speaking your second (or even third) language. All of this can make feel nervous or scared. These feelings will go away very soon. People are very friendly at Ridley, so you’ll make friends in no time. Once the year starts and you start participating in sports or activities, you’ll have something to be interested in and it’ll give you something to look forward to each day. Before you know it, the year will be over and you’ll think back to the first day of school and feel good that you accomplished so much in one year.

Introducing Hunter Bettens ’17; a Prefect whose dream became a reality when he discovered a place he could skate, learn and grow all under one roof. Now, as he enters Grade 12, he has big dreams for his final year and his future.

Why did you choose Ridley?

I chose Ridley because of hockey and the education. Since I was young, I always dreamed about attending a private school and playing hockey at the same time. I felt Ridley gave me the best of both worlds; a great hockey schedule with many opportunities to showcase yourself, and a challenging academic schedule that I feel is really preparing me for university and the real world.

Did you feel prepared coming to Ridley?

Mentally, I always wanted to attend a private school, so I knew what it was going to take and I had the right mindset coming to Ridley. The thing I didn’t expect is that I didn’t decide to come to Ridley until a week before school actually started! I came to school with the mindset, but everything sort of hit me in the face so quickly! I had to buy supplies, I had to leave everyone home in a hurry, and I needed to adapt. So in the physical aspect, I definitely didn’t feel prepared. However, within weeks of meeting new people and getting used to Ridley, I eased into a routine and got very comfortable, which abled to me to overcome any unpreparedness I had going into the school year.

Who is your favourite faculty member and why?

Even though each faculty member at the school is unique and each relationship between each faculty member is different, I would have to say my favourite faculty member is Mr. Park. I love geography, and this was the first time I could ever take an actual geography course outside of my own curiousty within the subject. In taking this course, my teacher was Mr. Park, and he shares the same passion for geography that I have, as well as being a person who loves and appreciates sports. When I am away for hockey, Mr. Park always jokes about how I missed a very important lesson, or that I missed some crucial piece of information that was only discussed on the day I missed. But besides the jokes he always asks me how the games went, and that is something for me that never goes unnoticed and is why he is my favourite faculty member.

What has been your greatest challenge thus far at Ridley?

My greatest challenge thus far at Ridley would definitely have to be Math. I am from Nova Scotia, and the math course I took in Grade 10 was to prepare a student who was taking Grade 11 Math the following year in Nova Scotia. However, I clearly didn’t stay in Nova Scotia for Grade 11; instead I came to Ridley. My parents and I discussed that the IB Programme would really challenge me and that it would be best for me to do. When we came to Ridley for orientation day and the time came to pick my courses and IB Math came up, a prerequisite credit for the course was Grade 11 Functions from Ontario, which I didn’t have. However, I was let in to IB SL Math. Accompanying IB, I receive an OSSD credit for Grade 12 Advanced Functions, so, I went straight from Grade 10 Math in Nova Scotia to Grade 12 Math in Ontario. So, balancing other courses, hockey and other things, finding time to catch up in math was and still is difficult, however, with the help of Mr. DeVellis and my tutor Ms. Sendzik, I was determined to fill in those learning gaps.

What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far at Ridley?

My greatest accomplishment at Ridley thus far would definitely be balancing my busy schedule. Going into the year I knew it would be very difficult and demanding, but I ended up managing my time very well and was able to accomplish my goal this year of balancing my academic schedule with my hockey schedule.

What has been your favorite Ridley experience?

My favourite Ridley experience would have to be Chapel. Coming into Ridley I knew that we had to go to Chapel three days a week, but I wasn’t upset or worried, I was actually curious to how these Chapel sessions were going to go, because looking at the schedule, I thought that the time we spent there was short compared to what normally goes on at a church. But I was blown away. Chapel has been nothing but a positive experience for me. Yes, you have to get up early but it doesn’t matter, you will be woken up by the hymns that the entire school sings together. Chapel really brings the whole school together, and when you are in there during a hymn you really feel the power that the Chapel has to put all of Upper School into one room, and to make each individual in there feel like they are part of the Ridley community.

What is your favourite part of Ridley life?

My favourite part of Ridley life would have to be boarding. You get to become more independent, such as doing laundry, going to Wal-Mart for shampoo and toiletries, all the stuff that for the most part, is typically done for you at home. But the cool thing about Ridley is that you’re becoming more independent with the people who are in the same boat as you. My roommate from China and I always tell each other when a washer is open, or tell one another if one goes to the store if they could pick something up. These situations might seem simple, but it is a completely different experience than you figuring it out on your own at an apartment as compared to figuring these things out with your new friends from Nigeria, China, or Jamaica. Boarding also makes friendships even stronger, you really get to know people because you are with them 24/7, and you cherish these moments that you spend so much because one day, you will graduate and you won’t be able to spend as much time with these friends you have made.

What part of being a Prefect are you most excited for?

I am most excited about being able to be there for the students. I love helping people and hope that I can deliver on that. Some people will have issues while at school, almost everyone does, and I am excited to be able to help those people with any issues they may have. Hopefully students will feel like they can approach all the Prefects next school year, and that each and every one of us can be there for them.

How has Ridley prepared you for the future?

Ridley has matured me and gave me the tools to interact with people on many different levels. For me, being taught the principle of being able to network with a multitude of people early on in my life is important, as I am potentially going to pursue a career in business, and to have this skill is essential. With the help of our great Guidance team at our school, they make the career and university talks much easier, and honestly, without them, I don’t think I would be half as prepared as I am for the future. Being able to have good conversations with them, made me really narrow down university choices, as well as career paths. Many aspects of Ridley come together to really prepare each and every one of us for our future.

What are your plans after graduation? (i.e. university, college, gap year, degree of study, city you plan to live in, extracurricular pursuits)

My plans after graduation are to go to school, hopefully still playing hockey, but definitely going to school. I want to major in Business, and if I were to stay in Canada, I plan on studying on the Quebec-East side of the country. However, I would really like to go to a Division III school in the Eastern part of the United States and play hockey, however, I realize that things may not go the way everyone likes them to and I would be very content with studying in Canada. Following university and my potential hockey career, I plan on staying on the East Coast, and preferably living in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. But again, you don’t know what could happen, so we will have to wait and see!

What advice would you give prospective students about Ridley?

My advice for prospective students, especially boarders, would be to ease your way into the Ridley community. Being homesick is natural, and by joining sports, clubs, or activities that interest you, these keep your attention on Ridley and not so much on how much you miss home. By going at your own pace and by not feeling rushed, you will learn to enjoy the Ridley community so much more, and you will really feel like you have developed a second home by the time you leave.

Introducing Anita Obiang Avomo ’17, a boarding student from Equatorial Guinea, who learned how to flourish during her time at Ridley and now hopes to help her peers make the same discovery. Read our Q&A with Anita to learn more about this Ridley Prefect.

Why did you choose Ridley?

Choosing Ridley was a big decision for me. I was choosing from a wide array of schools in Canada. The reason Ridley stood out for me was because of the way I felt after the tour. For all of the other schools that I toured, I wasn’t nearly as excited as I was for Ridley. It had everything I was looking for and more!

Did you feel prepared coming to Ridley?

In all honestly, I didn’t really feel prepared when I arrived at Ridley. This was mostly because I didn’t know anyone and this would be my first time in a boarding school, without my parents. It was very intimidating for me, but after the first week here I felt so welcomed and ready to be a part of the community.

Who is your favourite faculty member and why?

I would have to say that my favourite faculty member has to be Mrs. Darby. She has always been there for me, to give advice and guide me in the right direction. I have always felt that I could trust her with anything I have to say and she is always there to listen.

What has been your greatest challenge thus far at Ridley?

One of my biggest challenges would have to be learning to balance all of my activities – from sports, to school work, to in-house responsibilities, to extracurriculars. All of that was very new for me because in all my old schools we didn’t really have to worry about that. It was a huge transition for me.

What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far at Ridley?

My biggest accomplishment would probably be coming out of my shell. I used to be really shy and quiet but after being at Ridley I have felt more confident and open.

What has been your favourite Ridley experience?

Camp! Camp was one of my favorite times at Ridley because we were able to break the awkward new-student tension and focus on getting to know each other and becoming closer together, while having fun with all the camp activities.

What is your favourite part of Ridley life?

My favourite part of Ridley life is being able to always be around my friends and always being able to see them.

What part of being a Prefect are you most excited for?

I am most excited to create change and motivate my fellow students to be their best selves.

How has Ridley prepared you for the future?

Ridley had taught me a lot about responsibility and hard work, which is something that I lacked before I arrived here.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to go to university in Canada, earn a Bachelor of Science and see where life takes me.

What advice would you give prospective students about Ridley?

Make sure you are prepared for the possible workload ahead of you, but remember, it will be worth it in the end. Also, the friends you make will influence you the most, so makes sure you have a good group with you.

For this month’s installment of the TransfORming Our Globe series, we’re sharing the story of alumnus, Jordan Brock Fowler ’05, who took the road less travelled and founded his own eco-friendly business – Echo Farms.

Jordan attended Ridley from Grade 6 to 12. During the course of his Ridley career, Jordan excelled in academics, was actively involved in sports – especially Rugby – and could often be found backstage during many of Ridley’s theatrical performances. He embraced every aspect of Ridley life, and because of that, he formed lifelong relationships, obtained useful skills and tools and built character. Six years later, Jordan found himself at graduation, addressing his classmates as the Valedictorian; on that day, he was taking home more than just a diploma.

“My time at Ridley greatly affected my career path but not in the way that you would expect. Ridley didn’t particularly help me realize my passion for agriculture, but it was integral in the formation of my character, helped me establish my hard work ethic, and prepared me for the relationship building that would be key to building my business.”

– Jordan Brock Fowler ‘05

After graduation, Jordan attended the Toronto Film School for Film Production. He was certain that a job in the film industry would satisfy his creative drive, but it soon became apparent he was missing something. The career opportunities he found himself in left him yearning for more meaningful interactions with the environment and the people within it.

In need of a change of scenery, Jordan moved to Vancouver, where he became involved with a not-for-profit organization called the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC). At the time, this organization was advocating community and school gardens in the city core. While working on a media project for the SPEC, Jordan witnessed how strongly a connection with nature can impact someone.

“The wholesome, instinctual reaction of the youth to the food they were growing was infectious. I became increasingly interested in ideas around sustainable design and the serious impact climate change was having on our environment.”

– Jordan Brock Fowler ‘05

Equipped with his new-found passion for the environment, Jordan set out to gain the knowledge he’d need to make a difference. He travelled to the United Kingdom, where he partook in a course led by a number of climate activists. It was this life changing experience at the Schumacher Institute where Jordan realized the importance of sustainable agriculture. He then studied Organic Agriculture at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

Travelling down a new path, Jordan returned to Niagara in 2010, where he began to grow a business known as Forworld Farmstead. Utilizing family owned land, Jordan experimented with organic vegetable production, community supported agriculture and began raising livestock. In 2015, after purchasing a 50-acre farm in Cayuga, Ontario, he and his wife, Whitney (Peterson) Fowler ’05, started Echo Farms.

Echo Farms is an all-organic farm that produces wholesome, high-quality, organic produce and meat. This naturally grown food is sold to local restaurants and at markets. Echo Farms just launched its newest product, known as Minigreens™ – a packaged blend of microgreens, packed full of nutrients and flavour, that can be used to garnish sandwiches or as a salad mix. These greens are delivered fresh, each week, to grocers and health food stores in Southern Ontario, such as Grand Oak, the Good Earth, the Peanut Mill and 13th Street Winery, all located in the Niagara region.

Wanting to continue to help in restoring the earth, Jordan hopes to continue to grow Echo Farms and shorten the supply chain between farmers and consumers.

“Working alongside nature has its challenges… I find that we humans seem to be in a perpetual war with nature, constantly searching for ways to control it. Whether it’s the miracle cure to a disease caused by environmental degradation, playing God with genetic engineering or dowsing our food in chemicals, it is our reluctance to change which keeps us from unlocking Mother Nature’s vast wisdom – a wisdom cluttered by modern conveniences.”

– Jordan Fowler ‘05

Although his journey was long and winding, Jordan was able to uncover his passion and with it, grow a business; one that is giving back to the community and to the earth, one seed at a time.

To all those who are on their own winding journey through life, Jordan says this:

“Remember what it means to be a positive part of a community. Don’t get caught up trying to clamor to the top. Build strong supportive relationships with your peers and your competitors, think globally, act locally.”

TransfORming Our Globe is a blog series where we share the exciting stories of alumni who are leading flourishing lives and changing the world. It is important to Ridley College to support our alumni and share the stories of Old Ridleians, who discovered their passion and found success and happiness down the path of their choosing.

Do you know of any classmates that are living flourishing lives or transforming our globe? Email any suggestions for the TransfORming Our Globe blog series to development@ridleycollege.com.

Introducing Amelia Ritchie ’17, a Ridleian who has truly immersed herself in all that Ridley has to offer – from sports, to academics, to extracurriculars. This fall, Amelia begins her final year at Ridley. Read our Q&A with Amelia to learn more about this Ridley Prefect.

Why did you choose Ridley?

I chose Ridley because I loved the environment, and I realized how many things Ridley could give me, as opposed to a regular, public high school.

Did you feel prepared coming to Ridley?

I did feel prepared coming to Ridley. I was definitely nervous, but I also felt ready to take on a bunch of different activities.

Who is your favourite faculty member and why?

I can’t pick just one, however, my top three would have to be Miss Blagona, Mrs. McNiven and Mrs. Darby, because all three of them have supported me so much, in multiple different ways. I always love seeing them in the halls and having them there to talk to!

What has been your greatest challenge thus far at Ridley?

My greatest challenge thus far at Ridley has probably been realizing what is actually important for me to be focusing on. When so many responsibilities are piled onto you, and there a lot of things you want to do on top of those, it’s hard to realize what is really important and to keep your eye on the prize.

What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far at Ridley?

I think my greatest accomplishment thus far at Ridley has been taking advantage of the activities and extracurriculars. I have been in a lot of different activities over my three years, and I have managed to find my niche within those.

What has been your favourite Ridley experience?

My favourite Ridley experience…wow it’s hard to pick just one! If I had to choose one, I would have to say Snake Dance. The amount of school spirit everyone has is awesome to see and be a part of! I also really enjoyed OFSAA basketball in the fall of 2015!

What is your favourite part of Ridley life?

My favourite part of life at Ridley is the sense of community it gives. It’s not just that we are living in such close quarters, it’s knowing that everyone else is doing the same things as you are and feeling the same things as you are.

What part of being a Prefect are you most excited for?

The part of being a Prefect I am most excited for is having the platform to meet every new person who comes to this school and being to have conversations with them and learn interesting things about them. I am also looking forward to potentially being a mentor to those who want/need one.

How has Ridley prepared you for the future?

Ridley has prepared me for the future by teaching me, through the opportunities presented and through a need for time management, that I can do whatever and however much I want to do. It has given me a taste of my full potential.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan on going straight to university after graduation. I’m not yet sure which university, however, I think I want it to be in a big city and I would like to pursue law and international relations.

What advice would you give prospective students about Ridley?

Don’t be nervous, and don’t be afraid. Those two emotions limit the things that a lot of people partake in at this school, and they stop people from doing the things they really want to do – not just what activities and sports they do, but also the classes they take, the friends they pursue, and the fun they have. Remember everyone is in the same boat as you are, everyone is feeling what you are feeling. It’s the people who overcome these feelings that feel like they got the most out of their experience.

As two Ridley rowers prepare to take on competitors from across North America at an elite international regatta in July, Ridley is celebrating the 50th anniversary of our school’s highly successful rowing programme.

The latest rowing milestone for Ridley came with the recent announcement by Rowing Canada Aviron that student athletes Clark Schultz ’17, of Grimsby, Ontario, and Seth Moyer ’18, of Beamsville, Ontario, have been selected among 48 athletes from across Canada to compete for the Junior National Team, which includes teams for both the CanAmMex Regatta and Junior World Rowing Championships.

Clark and Seth will join the CanAmMex team at a training camp in Sarasota, Florida beginning July 11, 2016 before competition on July 16 and 17.

Having the two student athletes named to the CanAmMex team helps cap what has been a great 50th anniversary season of rowing for Ridley, where the program is led by our head coaches Siobhan McLaughlin and Dereck Schwandt.

“We’re extremely proud of Clark and Seth,” said Coach Schwandt. “Both of them worked extremely hard and earned great results throughout the season. It’s a remarkable achievement for them to be selected to this team and face the best young rowers across North America.”

Earlier this month Ridley crews qualified in eight final events at the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Regatta, winning a total of four medals — gold, silver and two bronze. In May, Ridley’s rowers and dedicated coaches hit the road to compete in the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia and the Welland SNRC Invitational, performing well at both regattas. Ridley captured first place in the Junior Men’s 4x in Philadelphia. The following day in Welland, Ridley crews captured first place in the Senior Men’s 4x, Senior Girls’ Lightweight 1x and Senior Girls’ 4x (mixed 4x event) races. Seth Moyer also achieved two third place finishes in the Men’s 1x and Men’s 72kg 1x at the SNRC Invitational.

After launching the rowing programme with a single racing shell in the spring of 1966, Ridley quickly established itself as a contender. Just two years after the program hit the water, Ridley claimed its first Calder Cleland trophy as Canadian Schoolboy Champion (Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Champion) and placed second in standing for overall points.

Over the past five decades Ridley has continued this tradition of excellence and established itself as one of Canada’s most successful secondary school rowing programs.

Highlights over the past 50 years include:

14 Ridley alumni have rowed at Olympic Games.

Since entering the CSSRA Championships in 1968, Ridley College is third among all secondary schools in gold medals between 1941 and 2015.

Five Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup victories at the Henley Royal Regatta in England — arguably the most prestigious rowing regatta in the world. This is tied for second most among all schools and leads all overseas schools.

Two Thames Challenge Cup victories at the Henley Royal Regatta.

Ridley hosts the Ontario Ergometer Championships annually, attracting the best rowers from across the province.

“Over the past 50 years, we’ve established an incredible standard in this sport and we look forward to building on our reputation in the years ahead,” said Jay Tredway, Director of Athletics. “Our student athletes represent the school extremely well, both on and off the water. We are not only developing excellent athletes, but also leaders and global ambassadors.”